New Proposed Bill Would Allow KHSAA Athletes Free One-Time Transfer

The effects from the transfer portal have trickled down from college to the high school ranks. A new bill in the Kentucky state legislature could expedite the process for high school athletes.

During January’s Board of Control meeting, KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett revealed the institution had already processed 827 transfers during the 2024-25 school year. Many other transfers were handled at the local level, which means roughly 1,000 Kentucky high school athletes transferred within a 6-month period.

The current KHSAA rules force athletes who have participated in varsity sports to sit out a year after transferring. There are many exceptions — like a change of residency, bullying, etc. — and that leads to the KHSAA handling more than 100 transfer cases a month. A new Kentucky bill is looking to speed up the process by taking it out of the KHSAA’s hands.

House Bill 292, introduced this week by Rep. Nick Wilson of Whitley County, would give student-athletes around the state of Kentucky a free, one-time transfer and immediate eligibility at the next school. If you prefer wordy, legalese, have at it:

“A student who is enrolled in grades nine (9) through twelve (12), participates in a varsity contest in any interscholastic sport at a member school following enrollment in grade nine (9), and then transfers to another member school shall be eligible to participate in varsity contests in any interscholastic sport at the new member school for the first time the student makes a transfer. Any further transfers of the student shall be subject to the transfer rules or bylaws adopted by the state board or any agency designated by the state board to manage interscholastic athletics.”

House Bill 292

Tackett responded to the bill in a statement with the Courier-Journal. There appears to be some trepidation from the KHSAA about allowing free one-time transfers, the way the transfer portal was initially constructed by the NCAA.

“We … shared the concerns of our membership about such an unrestricted option that have been expressed in more than two years of review of the rule,” Tackett said.

“We will always feel the best way to amend our rules is through the input, feedback and action of our member schools and their elected representatives, but we also very much realize the need to collaborate with the distinguished members of the General Assembly in areas of member or constituent concern.”

Will this Bill Become Law and Allow Free, One-Time Transfers?

There are about 20 days left in the Kentucky General Assembly. The bill must go through a committee, then to the House floor, and pass that step before making its way to the Senate. It can be amended throughout that process to address specific concerns.

Tackett pointed out in his conversation with Jason Frakes that it doesn’t say athletes who lose in the postseason can’t transfer to another school that’s still alive in postseason play. Candidly, that’s one of the silliest things I’ve ever heard, but he’s correct. It does not put time constraints on when athletes can use this one-time transfer to another school.

Speaking with sources in Frankfort, the chances are low that a law allowing free, one-time transfers in Kentucky high school sports will be passed in this session. However, this bill did light some fires under rear-ends.

The current KHSAA transfer system was developed 2-3 decades ago. It’s slow-moving and often causes kids who have legitimate cases for immediate eligibility to miss games because they can’t get a hearing with the KHSAA in a timely manner. Hopefully, those days will soon come to an end.

We’ll learn more about the KHSAA’s response to HB 292 and the rise of the transfer portal when the Board of Control reconvenes on Feb. 19.